Back in August we launched our first Six Month Academy mentoring and work experience scheme, in partnership with the good people at SMA Support UK.
The scheme was open to all young people with SMA between 15 and 24 years of age, and Disability Horizons founders Martyn Sibley and Srin Madipalli handpicked the winner themselves.
With plenty of fantastic applicants to choose from, Martyn and Srin had a tough decision in front of them, but after creating a shortlist of potential candidates, they finally whittled it down to 21-year-old Textiles and Design student Marni Smyth because of her drive, ambition and positive attitude. Based in Leeds, Marni is currently in the third and final year of her Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design degree, and is considering doing a PGCE afterwards so that she can take on part-time teaching work, while working hard to set up her own textiles business. Marni told us that she has great respect for what Martyn and Srin have accomplished with Disability Horizons and Accomable, and that she is hoping that their combined business brains will help her gain the skills and confidence she needs to set up her own business in the future. She’s also hoping to gain some real insight into what the world of work is like, as currently she has never been outside of education, and is aware that for many the transition can be tricky.
During her mentorship, Marni will be working with Martyn, Srin and their colleagues on the Accomable website, helping to gather a portfolio of research on accessible properties around the world, which can then be uploaded onto the website. She had her first mentoring session with the Disability Horizons duo over Skype in mid October, and has agreed that she will commit to this research at the weekends, as she is currently so busy with university and her dissertation during the week. This commitment to taking on so many different projects really impressed Martyn and Srin and they have been very happy with Marni’s work and attitude so far.
We’ll be keeping in touch with Marni over the coming six months to see how she is progressing, and how the mentorship is helping her to reach her goals and achieve her dreams. So until next time, we wish Marni lots of luck with her dissertation and we hope that she manages to find time to relax and have some fun as well!
By Disability Horizons
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